Back To School
by Maia2
Summary: M/A They go to School on an EO assignement. Not exactly, but close to nbs' Challenge at NWP.


Disclaimer: Nope, they're not mine.

Timeline: Somewhere during S2

A/N: I got the Idea for this from nbs' challenge at NWP, but I think the Challenge implied AU, which this is not. It's just what popped into my mind when I saw it.

A/N2: First thing I ever wrote. Tell me what you think, OK?

**Back to School **

"So, miss Jones, we are all eagerly expecting..." the middle aged, stern looking man said. 

*How did I get here?* she asked herself for the hundredth time. 

"Yeah, miss Jones, what is your take on that?" a soft whisper by her ear. And HE was certainly not making it any easier. 

"I, uhm, ... I ..." She heard a muffled chuckle. *Bastard is really enjoying this* Sure, nobody could hear him, but she still could.

She looked back up at the professor, "Actually sir, I'm not very clear on that, but Mr. Kelly here did have some very interesting comments I'm sure he'd love to share with all of us," she glanced at him, a sweet smile on her face "wouldn't you?" *Ha!, get out of that one*

"Well, as a matter of fact sir..." he paused "I do." 

*Huh?* Her head came up swiftly. 

"I just thought since tritium is such an unstable gas, bound to be easily transformed into 3He –Helium Three- which is a form of He that lacks an extra neutron, we could have filtered the gas through a thin block of palladium, which would have separated all the 3He. After all, the 3He will be trapping nearly a quarter of the high-energy neutrons in stable helium atoms. The fission will become fusion, the alpha and …" he went on, a smirk on his lips as he briefly looked at her before turning back to the class at large. 

*It had to be a joke* Yet everyone was listening to him in awe, nodding their heads from time to time. Even the professor with his stupid little glasses seemed to be enthralled by him. 

*Damn smart-ass* 

--------------- 

"All you have to do is get in touch with the Doctor's aid. His name is Matt. He'll give you the disk" Logan had said. 

"Why don't you get it from him if it is that easy?" 

"Well I always contacted him using this identity…" 

"So?" 

He had actually looked a little embarrassed, not meeting her eyes "The thing is, it's not an identity I could fool him with in person. All our contact so far has been through the computer" 

She had known right then she would not like the answer "What exactly is this identity of yours?" 

"The name is Jones. Lisa Jones" 

------------- 

That night at Crash she had told OC, and of course, Alec had been around "Finally showing his true colors now, is he?" a wide grin on his lips. 

"Shut up! The guy is some sort of recluse, never gets out of the lab. It was the only way Logan could get him interested" she explained. Not that she actually cared what Alec thought. 

"So, he just wrote to him saying `I'm a very hot chick´ and the guy just fell for it? Come on, not even oh-so-perfectly-romantic-Logan is that good…" 

She had glared at him then "Actually, he sent him a photograph of me". Both Alec and OC had just stared at her "What? The research is real important, he needed the guy's attention" 

"And I'm sure he got it" Alec had muttered. "So let me get this straight. He has been writing to this … person he never even met passionate letters, sent him YOUR picture and now wants you to go get some information from him. Alone. Did he specify how far you should go to get it? Or is that much up to you?" He had in fact looked pretty furious while he was saying it, although his voice had been very low. 

She had looked at OC for help, but she had just shaken her curls "Pretty boy here's got a point, Boo. For all you know this is some sort of crazy lab freak, lurking around in the hallways, stalking babes just like you" 

"Oh, come on! Not like I couldn't look out for myself!" She had said in exasperation. 

"And how are you supposed to get in touch with lab-rat? You gonna walk around campus with one of your I-can't-breath-but-I'm-soo-sexy outfits and hope the guy just happens to be looking out his little window?" 

"My clothes are not like that" he had raised both his eyebrows at that "And, Logan's got a plan. I'm going to enroll in one of his Doctor's classes. Apparently the guy sometimes takes the students to the lab" 

"Ha! So you're going to college." He had seemed to think for a while, and then "Oh no, please tell me he is some kind of Dr in martial arts or something like that…" 

"Physics" She had said, getting up and leaving, but not before she could hear his crack of laughter and what had suspiciously sounded like a giggle from her best friend. 

----------- 

"Hey, wait up!" he yelled as he ran up to her "Not that I mind the view, though" 

She hit him on the shoulder. Hard. He put on his "ouch" expression, instantly followed by a playful smile "Now Maxie, what is wrong with you? Did you not agree with my position on the tritium issue?" He asked her innocently. 

"Smart ass!" She replied, as she continued walking to her baby. 

His smile widened "Come on Max, I'm sure you would have answered that one correctly. It was very sweet of you to let me do it" 

She stopped as they reached the bikes "Tell me again WHY you're here?" she asked, a homicidal look on her face. 

"Why Maxie, that was harsh. Here I am preventing you from becoming the laughingstock your precious not-boyfriend set you up to be in front of a whole class of wannabe doctors, and this is how you repay me! Really, you'd think she'd be a little more appreciative of it" he gestured to no one in particular. As she was about to turn on the engine, he added "Well, I guess that means she won't be interested in the tour to the lab I managed to arrange for later on…" With that he hopped on his own bike and took off, winking at her. 

------------ 

He smiled to himself as he felt the cold breeze on his face, enjoying the moment. 

He knew she would be following him, catching up with him in no time. She was just so easy to tease. 

He laughed out loud as he remembered her openmouthed expression as he had started his little speech. She had had that one coming, looking so smug when she thought she had put him on the spot. Please! He'd had courses back at Manticore that made this one look like kindergarten. 

He still was not sure why he was there. Well he never was when it came to her. 

He'd been his usual sarcastic self when she'd told them about the "plan", but in truth he had wanted to wring Logan's neck. The guy was unbelievable. Yes, Max could take care of herself, but that was beside the point. The man was supposed to be in love with her. How could he have sent her picture to another guy to drool over? And as if that was not enough, he was sending her to meet him. Everything was ok as long as it was for some of his valuable EO missions. 

Of course Max hadn't seen it, but her "boyfriend" had sent her to seduce both the lab assistant and the professor. How else was she supposed to get the professor to take her to the lab? She barely had had any sort of education, yet he had sent her to an advanced physics class? Yes, she was very smart, but really. He suspected OC had realized this too. She hadn't been happy once Max had left. "I assume you are going to get my girl's back, right?" Not that she had to ask. Of course he'd left right after Max. 

They had been here for two weeks. She was really trying hard and in fact enjoying most of the classes. She'd met a couple of girls and seemed to have a good time around them. She should get out more. She even forgot to hate him sometimes and laughed at his continuous banter. They had even raced their bikes, and made up all sorts of contests to see who could run faster, pick a lock sooner, etc. 

He could have charmed the Dr before, he just didn't want to go back to Seattle to the `I'm so depressed´ and `life is so unfair´ Max that lived there. 

Of course it could not last. The Log-boy had called last night. Really worried about…his disk. 

So this morning dark Max was back. She had been so mortified when the professor had asked her and she knew everyone was looking at her. Damn Logan. Alec had had to mock her, so she'd get mad at him and retaliate. Angry Max was a lot better than loomy Max. 

He sighed and slowed down a little bit. 

----------- 

When she reached him the long ride had taken away the remains of her anger. Not that she was seriously mad at him. He had saved her from a very awkward moment. She had been so absorbed thinking how to accomplish Logan's request she hadn't even heard the question. *Like that would have made any difference* She really hated Physics. 

Ever since the call last night she had been feeling extremely guilty. Here she was enjoying herself instead of saving the world or whatever it was this information would do. 

It had just felt so right. The campus was filled with people with not a care in the world. She didn't forget who she was, but it had been nice to actually enjoy life for a little while. And she had to admit Alec had played a great part in it. He got the most out of every situation. Even out of being a transgenic. For the last two weeks she had honestly taken pleasure in being one. The races, jumping off buildings, listening into people's conversations through walls and then trying to guess who they were… 

She was just sorry it had to end now. 

She drove alongside him quietly. She sighed as they stopped in front of the lab building. 

---------- 

"You ready?" she asked. 

"Always" 

She rolled her eyes at him as they entered the foyer and headed for the stairs. They reached #608 and Alec knocked. "Coming" someone said from inside. 

"Oh, Max, before I forget, you're my girl of the day" he whispered pulling his arm around her waist. 

"Your what?!?!" 

"See, I knew you'd love it" he drawled, squeezing her, "now smile" A pale skinny man in his early thirties opened the door. She posted a lousy smile on her face, even though the guy never even raised his eyes from whatever he was reading. Dr. what's-his-name motioned them in from across the room. A set of long tables, full of machines lay in the middle so they had to go around them. 

She smacked him on the stomach, never loosing her smile. 

"What was I supposed to do? The man asked ME to come. How else was I to explain my bringing you?" he said through gritted teeth. 

"I could have been interested. I'm a student here too!" 

"Yeah right, Like he would buy that after your sleeping in his class for the last two weeks" 

"At least you could have made me your girlfriend" she mumbled. 

"Now and how would that have come to terms with the lovely cover story your Logan gave you?" he retorted, and then smiled "but hey Max, if you truly want us to be serious, I will get something in return, right? Cause I would definitely NOT wait till the `right time´" He grimaced as the heel of her boot connected with his toes. 

"Now sexy-thing, why don't you look a little around while I talk to the Dr?" he said, a wink to the lecturer. "Oh! And make sure you don't touch anything sweetie" he could not resist adding. He would have to pay for that he thought, as he embarked himself on a conversation about Gamma radiation that was sure to last at least an hour. 

-------------- 

*The bastard!* She put on a stupid smile on her face before she wandered off to where pale-dude was lurking over a console. Once she was out of the professor's sight she changed her demeanor into one of sexy seductress. 

"Hey you!" The guy finally looked up at her and just remained there with his mouth open. *Please don't let him start stuttering* 

"Oh! H-h-hi It-it's y-you! Li-Lisa" *Damn Logan* 

"Told you I was coming, didn't I?" she purred. 

"I can't be-believe it" – "Well you better" she laughed. 

"Can-can-can I to-touch you?" *OH, PLEASE!!!* 

"Why don't you give me what you've got and then we'll get to business?" 

"Oh, no! You co-come to my office and then I'll give it to you" *Yuck* 

"You know, your Dr is right over there…" she tried. 

"He'll never notice. He can talk for hours at a time" he said grabbing her arm and leading her to the back room. 

-------------- 

_"Can-can-can I to-touch you?"_ Alec stopped mid sentence, but resumed his speech immediately. It was all he could do not to jump off the stool and beat the disgusting little creep. 

_"You co-come to my office…"_ His enhanced hearing totally focused on the conversation across the room. *Shit* 

He heard the soft click of the door being shut and pressed his hands to his sides. 

Of course, he had nothing to worry about, right? This was Max! The girl was a genetically engineered soldier for crying out loud! She could take care of herself just fine. No need to… "Will you excuse me?" He stood up and stormed into the room in the back. 

------------- 

Max was standing in the middle of the room, a little flushed. Disgusting creep was nowhere to be seen. 

Alec raised one eyebrow questioning. She shrugged and pointed her head at a very small cabinet below the window. Alec tsked, shaking his head. 

"I'm sorry for Logan, but if that guy had moved his hand just a little more, I would have thrown him out the window" 

"So I guess it's back to plain stealing the info, huh?" He flashed that little mischievous smile at her. She couldn't help smiling back. 

"I'll check the desks, you get the computer" she motioned and he sat down, rolling his shoulders before placing his hands on the keyboard, his eyes fixed on the screen. She just stared at him in awe a while. She was used to seeing a computer freak at work, but this was to much. She shook her head and started opening drawers. She hadn't even got to the third one when Alec asked "Would the only file that is super hidden and three times encrypted be the one Wonder Boy is looking for?" 

"I could probably call him, but it being encrypted I don't think he'll be able to tell us anything" she mumbled to herself. Alec just kept on hitting the keys. 

"Does your not-boyfriend read Armenian?" "What?" "Never mind, this has to be it. Pass me one of those disks, will you?" 

"What the hell is going on here?" They both looked sharply up at the man standing in the doorway and then back at each other. They had totally forgotten about him. Alec started to speak, as Max blurred to hit the Dr on the back of the neck, rendering him unconscious. 

"Well, I'm sure he'll be thinking twice before asking bored looking girls anything in his next class" Alec jested as he removed the disk from the computer. "What are we gonna do about lover-boy over there?" 

"Poor guy is so pale I'd hate to expose him to any kind of light, you know?" 

"You are such a sweet girl, Maxie… So, can I lure you into any kind of fare-well-college naughtiness or do you just want to get me in a motel room and spend the most wonderful night of your life?" She jabbed her elbow hard into his stomach, causing him to miss a couple of breaths. "Of course, we can always go back to Seattle" he muttered sadly. 

------------ 

Sketchy came back to the table. Two pitchers of beer on his hands. He left them on the table and looked at Alec "You playing or are you afraid you've lost your touch?" 

Alec shook his head as he stood up and followed him the couple of steps to the pool table. 

"Lost his touch? Why would he? The guy practically lives here!" Logan exclaimed, and then smiled smugly "not that he is THAT good". Max and OC just looked at each other. They'd seen Alec play a thousand times. They both knew he had let Logan win that time, but neither said anything. 

"So, everything went smoothly?" Max just nodded, not really paying attention "It's a good thing Matt told you it was in Armenian. Saved me two hours of research trying to find out what language those symbols where." He continued without seeing Max glance over at Alec and Alec's smirk at his words "The stuff is really good. I can't wait till he contacts us about the progress of this investigation, it's just so interesting…" he blabbed on. 

"I'm actually looking forward to going back to college" Max said "but ... uhm ... Logan, I wouldn't be counting on any more information from uhm ... Matt." 

Logan looked apprehensively at her "What did you do now?" 

It was all Alec could do not to smash the cue into the older man's thick stupid head, but Max's warning look made him stay put. 

"Apparently the Dr wasn't too happy with the way he left his office… uhm … unattended sometimes." Max replied, hiding a smile. 

"Matt? I thought he was a total workaholic, you know, kinda nerdy" Logan mused. 

*Takes one to know one* Alec thought to himself. "So, you looking forward to going back to school?" he said out loud to Max "You planning on some Physics? Chemistry? Economics perhaps?" Both Max and OC smiled "I heard the kick-boxing classes were pretty good" they were laughing now. 

That got Logan into one of his speeches about how Alec should seriously consider improving his education, instead of making fun. Of course, he couldn't take any of _those_ curses, but perhaps something a little more simple… 

Alec rolled his eyes and winked at Max. She watched him fascinated as he went back to playing yet another perfect game of pool. 

Maia. 

Hope you liked it. 


End file.
